Compare legal vs illegal drugs in terms of availability and consequences.

• A. All drugs are equally penalised.
• B. Legal substances have penalties but illegal drugs have none.
• C. Illegal drugs carry penalties and safety risks; legal substances can be misused with health risks; availability varies.
• D. Illegal drugs have no safety risks.

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is how availability and consequences differ between illegal and legal drugs. Illegal drugs come with legal penalties if you’re caught or involved in their distribution, and they carry safety risks because they aren’t regulated—strength, purity, and contamination can vary, making them more unpredictable. Legal substances are regulated, so there are rules about who can use them and how they’re sold, and there are health risks if they’re misused (for example, taking too much, mixing substances, or driving under the influence). At the same time, availability varies: alcohol and many medications are freely available to adults or with a prescription, while some drugs require medical oversight or have age restrictions.

That combination is what makes this choice the best. The other options oversimplify or misstate the situation: all drugs aren’t penalised equally; penalties exist for illegal drugs (and health/safety concerns also apply to legal substances when misused); illegal drugs do carry safety risks.